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A staff writer from the Tornado Press interviewed Kerri Adame, the band director at Nikki Rowe High School in McAllen.

Why is music so important in your life?

“Music started for me when I was younger. As a student music was… not really an escape but more of an… avenue. Not to get away from anything, just to be myself. It’s like kids that love to read. They read, read, read, except for me its practice, practice, practice. Practicing was really important to me. Music is like speaking your own language, it brings out the individuality and creativity in people. Music for me started as a hobby and became a career.”

Kerri Adame, Nikki Rowe High School Band Director

Why did you pursue a career in music?

“I pursued a career in music because I knew I was good at it. I didn’t think I was good at anything else and I thought that, you know, music would be easy for me. But it wasn’t. At all. There was a lot of practicing. Studying gave me a lot of respect for band directors. I thought I could do well so I kept going, and that was easy because I was doing something I loved.”

Kerri Adame, Nikki Rowe High School Band Director

What are some challenges you see today as a music educator that are different than when you started teaching?

“Today based on starting as a music teacher 23 years ago, I’ve seen that kids aren’t as committed as they used to be. There are so many distractions and they spread themselves so thin that they don’t make time for their priorities. Kids don’t realize how good they can be; they don’t realize how much potential they have.”